Device for opening and closing gates



March H; 1941. B. A. KENNEY DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GATES 1 Filed July 13, 1959 I 2 Sheets-5heet l INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

March H, 1941.

B. A. KINNEY 2234,02

DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GATES Filed July 15, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention has to do with that class of doors and gates which are opened and closed by the passage of a motor vehicle along the driveway, road or path on which the vehicle runs.

In such connection, the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple combination of instrumentalities embodying essentially a tread or depression plate and a .trip release plate, whereby the doors and gates are opened and closed automatically by the passag of the vehicle, without the driver having to leave the vehiole to perform these operations manually,

The invention further aims to avoid any tendency of complicated parts in the mechanism and to make the opening and closing of the doors and gates positive and certain in operation, the mechanism rugged and strong, economical of manufacture and easy of construction and installation.

A construction designed to carry out the above objects is illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings and in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the assembled pants embodying the invention, in position on a driveway, and showing a horizontal sectional view of a garage and its doors, parts of the view being in broken formation;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of Figure 1, the View being partly sectioned and partly broken away;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view in elevation of the tread plate, spring and co-aoting parts, in operative position in a concrete construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view in elevation of a garage door held in an open position and showing the plate trip means and co-aoting parts;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of a roller trip means with its connecting rod;

Figure 6 is a detail view, enlarged, of a trigger means for releasing the doors or gates; the view being on. line 6-6, Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a detail view of a rack and pinion used on each door of a garage; the view being had on line l'! of Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a detail view of a double rack and pinion for use where .two complete units of the mechanism are to be utilized on a gate.

Proceeding in accordance with the drawings and wherein lik pants will be indicated by like numerals and letters, in Figme 1 is shown a concrete driveway and formed with a cavity A, and channels B and C. A garage is shown at D with double doors E, each door being mounted on a post'F, the post having its lower end resting upon the concrete I. On each of these posts is mounted a pinion gear J and in mesh therewith is a toothed rack bar K, one for each door post F, this being the means for connecting the doors with the mechanism for opening and closing the same. The rack bars K form a continuation of or may be integral with a rod 2, one rod for each rack bar, and the opposite ends of each rod 2 are pivotaliy connected to one arm of a bell crank 3, a bell crank being provided for each rod on each side of :the driveway. These bell cranks, one of which is shown in the enlarged view in Figure 3, are pivoted by pins 4 to an anchor 5, embedded in the concrete l of the driveway. The rods 2 are thus seated in the channels B.

Disposed across the driveway is the tread or depression plate 6, the front wheels of the vehicle riding upon this plate and pushing it downward- 1y into the cavity A which it covers and which movement and through the rods 2, rack bars K, pinion gears J and posts F, cause the doors to swing to an open position. One edge of this depression plate is hinged .to small anchors I set in the concrete and the front or opposite corners thereof are extended downwardly as at 8 and pivotally connected to a link 9, the link 9 being in turn pivotally connected to the other arm of the bell crank 3. It will be understood that .a bell crank 3 and rocker link 9 are disposed at each corner of (the depression plate 6 so that each door E may be connected to the rods 2.

Arranged underneath the depression plate 8 and within :the cavity A are two springs l0, one

spring for each end of the depression plate. One 3 end of each spring is pivoted by a small link H to the ends of the plate 6 and the opposite ends of these springs are affixed to an anchor piece I 2, embedded in the concrete and within the cavity A. Intermediate the ends of these springs is arranged another anchor I3 with a. spring contacting point M and on which these springs break or which support the springs centrally in order to provide for the proper tensiona l effect when the tread plate 6 is depressed. The preceding description explains the manner in which the garage doors are opened when the front wheels of a vehicle ride over the tread or depression plate. The doors are closed automatically by the springs H), as when the depression plate 6 is released these springs will exert a tensional pull on the rods 2 to close the garage doors.

Since the garage doors E must be held open after the tread plate 8 is depressed, there are provided two combination door holding and trip mechanisms, shown in detail in Figure 6. It is preferred that the bottom edges of the garage doors be engaged by these mechanisms, consequently on the bottom edges of each door there is fixed a strip 15. Then spaced from the doors and in the radius of the arc of the circle indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1 and on the sides of the driveway are set two posts it. Pivoted to these posts, one for each post, is an arm I! with a notched and pointed end it, and on the opposite ends of these arms is a weight l9. Thus when the doors move against the slanted portion at the pointed end of the arms, the strips 15 fall into the notches shown and the weights hold the doors in an open position.

In order that the garage doors E may be released when desired there are provided two forms of trip means embodied in the trip plate !9 and the roller 20. These two forms of trip or door release means are made to release the arm I? from the garage door through the medium of the bell cranks 2i, one bell crank being piaced on each side of the driveway and connected by the rod 23, the rod passing along a channel in the concrete and holding the two bell cranks 2! in pivoted connection. An anchor member 24 is provided on each side of the driveway for holding the ends of the rod 23 in position. The trip plate 19 is mounted on a crank arm 25, the latter being pivoted to an anchor 25 and a rod 2'5 s connected to the crank arm 25 and its opposite end connected to the bell crank 2 l-clearly shown in Figure 4. The opposite end of the bell crank Z1 is then connected to the arm ll through the medium of a link 28. This form of trip plate is only used inside the garage Where an automobile is to be backed out. The other form of release as exemplified by the roller 2%! will release the door holding means as the automobile is backed out of the garage through the action of the rear wheels W, passing over th roller 25. This roller 28 as will be clear from Figure 5 has a small short arm 29 which arm is pivoted to a rod 30, and the opposite end of the rod 38 is pivoted to one arm of the bell crank 3|. The bell crank 3i is exactly alike in construction to the bell crank 2|, and has a companion crank on the opposite side of the driveway, the two cranks being pivoted to a rod 32 in a similar manner. Finally, a link 33, similar to the link 28, is connected between the other arm of the bell crank 31 and the arm ll.

Where the device is to be applied to the opena ing and closing of a gate, a tread or depression Figure 8. Thus one unit would be connected to the rod or rods 0 and the unit on the opposite side of the gate would connect with the rod or rods P. In this arrangement the trip plate l9 and its parts would not be used. Thus when used with gates when the vehicle wheel depresses the tread plate on one side of the gate, the tread plate on the opposite side of the gate will likewise be moved downwardly because the push rods 0 acting on the gears J in connection with the rack bars will pull the rods P to depress the opposite tread plate. Similarly the rollers 20 will operate to release the gate.

In the operation of the device as applied to garage doors, the doors are opened by hand when the vehicle is to leave the garage, and the automobile is backed out in gear. When the wheels cross the roller 28, the traction causes the roller to turn and which action as heretofore explained releases the weighted latch arm Ill, and the tread It is believed that the foregoing description explanation of operation is sufiicient to enable anyone to understand the invention. It is also to be understood that modifications and changes may be made in the structure here shown without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention and such as would be within the scope and meaning of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

An opening and closing apparatus for and in combination with doors of a garage and a driveway having a cavity, said apparatus including a tread-plate over said cavity and hingedly connected across said drive-way; springs for normally holding said tread-plate in a door-closing position; rack bar and pinion means for said doors; a linkage assembly at opposite edges of the tread-plate operably connecting said treadplate with said rack bar and pinion means; and when said tread-plate is depressed the linkage assemblies operate the rack bar and pinion means to swing the doors to open position and the doors are caused to swing to closed position when the springs raise the tread-plate; said apparatus including an anchor in said cavity to which one end of each of said springs is connected, the opposite ends of each of said springs being provided with a link element, said link elements being iveted to said tread-plate; and an anchor disposed in said cavity beneath each of said springs and intermediate the ends of said springs and on which the springs rest.

BERT ANTHONY KINNEY. 

